The New People’s Army mocked the declaration of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) that 200 barangays (villages) in South Quezon Bondoc Peninsula (SQBP) are election hotspots, saying that the armed forces are using the upcoming local elections to intensify militarization and human rights violations in the area.

The 200 hotspots in SQBP are part of the 6,000 barangays identified by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) as having the highest frequency of election-related violence in the whole country.

Armine de Guia, spokesperson of the NPA Apolonio Mendoza Command in SQBP,said that the AFP-Southern Luzon Command is most likely behind the election hotspots, because the Comelec declaration enables the reactionary armed forces to infiltrate barangays and implement counter-revolutionary and anti-people schemes.

“The AFP is losing steam and running out of ideas to cover-up the real terror of Oplan Bayanihan, the suppression campaign of the US-Aquino II regime against the growing revolutionary movement,” said de Guia.

The 200 barangays declared as hotspots are covered by the municipalities of San Narciso, Mulanay, San Francisco, General Luna, and Catanauan in Bondoc Peninsula.

Bondoc Peninsula is known as an NPA stronghold and was the site of a military operation involving eight battalions of the AFP, Philippine National Police and the Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Unit in 2012.

“This laughable and dated AFP statement is short of admitting the failure of Oplan Bayanihan to crush the people’s armed struggle. This is the third time that the AFP has bragged that it will quash the NPA forces in SQBP before the year ends. Needless to say, this is the third time they will fail,” added de Guia.

The NPA Apolonio Mendoza Command warned the people of Quezon against illegal arrest, additional checkpoints, manipulation of the local elections, and even extra-judicial killings that will be led by the fascist and mercenary army and police of the reactionary government.

The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) also issued a statement and guidelines on the conduct of the upcoming barangay elections.

“The senatorial and barangay elections in 2013 are means of the ruling class to set the stage for the 2016 presidential elections. Local elections have a historical role as machinery of the ruling regime to implement the anti-people programs and projects of the reactionary state.”

“The revolutionary movement stands firm that the reactionary elections will never lead to genuine societal change. Nevertheless, the CPP recognizes that the local elections could be maximized for the fortification of revolutionary mass bases in the countryside, especially in areas under the control and influence of the NPA.”